Trying to move on
by Pocky Boxes
Summary: tragedy stikes the Higurashi family. Can Kagome manage to get over it?! Find out! Iu/kag LATER ON if you like the story enough.Oh, and we must not forget to review!CH2 UP!
1. I

Hello. I don't have much to say about this story except the beginning. Something really bad happens, and this forces the Higurashi family to move. Please read this! I hope you like it! Oh and read please!  
  
Okay, here's the disclaimer. I don't own Inuyasha. Only 4 words! Some people use like, thirty to emphasize the fact they don't own the show. Why would they torture themselves like that?!  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
Kagome and her mother were just taking the one-hour drive back to their house on the edge of the city. Kagome's school had just won the basketball regionals and she, as captain of the cheerleading squad, had been there to cheer them on.  
  
"Yup, that was some game", Kagome sighed happily to her mom.  
  
"Yeah, you guys did great".  
  
"I wish Dad could've been here see it. I know how much he likes basketball, even if it was just a Jr. High game  
  
"He'll get over it. Besides, he had to take care of Grandma tonight. She's sick, remember?"  
  
"Right". With that said, Kagome turned her attention to the car window, letting herself drift into sleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
About 40 minutes later..  
  
"Kagome", Mrs. Higurashi whispered gently. "Kagome wake up. We're home". Kagome awoke to her mom's verbal nudges and let out a long, drowsy yawn.  
  
As Kagome got out of the car, she noticed her mom was not following suit. "Mom come on. I'm tired".  
  
"I just remembered. I need to go to the store to pick up some milk. We're all out. Do you have your keys"?  
  
Kagome reached into her sports bag and felt around. *Clinking of metal* "Yeah, I got 'em", Kagome replied, holding up her keychain.  
  
"Okay then. I should be back in a few minutes. Souta and Grandpa are on that boy-scout camping trip, but Grandma and Dad should be home".  
  
"All right. See you later", Kagome said as she started walking towards her house.  
  
As her mom's car drove out of sight, Kagome reached the front door. She put her key to the lock only to see it open slowly by itself.  
  
'Curious', Kagome thought. 'Dad always locks the door at night'.  
  
Without warning, Kagome started to feel a strong pressure in her chest, mainly her heart. 'Something's wrong', she thought to herself.  
  
Quietly, she slipped her shoes off, leaving them on the front porch. She cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
'Same old house, she thought, looking around. 'Why does it feel so cold then'?  
  
Without taking a step, she continued her inspection of the house.  
  
She froze.  
  
It was dark, but she could still make out what she saw. The lower half of a body, lying perfectly still in the living room. What scared her was that she could also see a pool of liquid drenching the hardwood floor and the body.  
  
Afraid, but curious of what exactly was in there, Kagome quickly tiptoed her way into the living room. She would have screamed had her hand not cup itself over her mouth.  
  
It was her dad. He was just lying there on the floor drenched in what she now realized, was blood. Not only that, but Kagome also saw her grandmother, only a few feet away, lying face down, dead.  
  
Completely horrified, Kagome took several steps back, her hand still over her mouth to keep her from yelling out. She began to feel tears stream down her face, burning her cheeks as they made their way down.  
  
Suddenly, she started to feel dizzy. Kagome closed her eyes. 'No! I can't faint. Not now.' As she opened her eyes, Kagome's grief was quickly replaced by fear. Her thoughts began to race a mile a minute.  
  
'Who did this?! She thought frantically. 'Why did they do it? What if they're still here?!' This last thought hit Kagome like a ton of bricks. ' If that person is still here, what am I going to do?' Kagome's eyes looked at the front door, then back at her father's dead corpse. ' I can't run. Not after what they did'. Kagome's fear was now replaced by blind fury. She was going to make whoever it was who did this pay.  
  
With a determined look on her face, Kagome began to scan each room, looking for the perpetrator. As she made her way into the parlor, she stopped. There he was. He had his back facing her so he couldn't see her staring at him. Kagome watched as he plucked the more valuable items off a bookshelf.  
  
'That's what he came her for? Kagome thought, angrier than ever. 'He killed my father and my grandma so he could get his hands on a few stupid trinkets?!'  
  
Kagome was once again blinded by her tears. But these were tears of rage, not loss.  
  
Quietly wiping her face, Kagome had to figure out a plan to get revenge. She realized how stupid she was. ' Why didn't I think about this before I confronted him? I could have gone into the kitchen and gotten a knife or something. Too late now I guess.'  
  
Kagome's eyes searched around the room, looking for something that she could use against him. 'Lamp, T.V., clock, vase', Kagome listed useful items in her head as she scanned the room. 'There!' The thief had foolishly left his handgun on the end table. 'The one he used to kill Dad and Grandma no doubt', Kagome thought angrily.  
  
She quietly crept towards the gun, not allowing herself to take her eyes off it for fear it might disappear. All the while, the burglar still had his back turned away from Kagome. 'How long does it take to steal something?' Kagome thought.  
  
Kagome was about one foot away from the handgun when- CREEEAAAKK!!!!!  
  
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized she had stepped on the one creaky floorboard in the entire house. The burglar whipped his head around and for a moment, he just stared blankly at the girl crawling behind him.  
  
'Shit', both of them thought in unison.  
  
In one swift movement, he got up and started walking towards a very frightened Kagome. Before he managed to reach her however, she was able to grab the gun.  
  
"Don't move!" was all Kagome was able to blurt out.  
  
The burglar froze as Kagome shakily pointed the gun at his mid-section. Her aim was terrible, but the target was only a couple of feet away, so she would be able to hit the intruder.  
  
"You bastard", Kagome's voice wavered. " You killed my father and my grandma just so you could get your hands on some stupid knick-knacks?! I'll make you pay for what you've done."  
  
With that said, Kagome fired two shots at the burglar, hitting him square in the middle of his body. He fell down and closed his eyes as a crimson tide began to flow from his fallen form.  
  
"He's dead", Kagome said aloud, relieved. She let the gun fall from her hands. 'All of this is too much', she thought. She clutched her head in pain as all of the emotions she felt that night swept up and took her by surprise.  
  
Dropping to the ground, Kagome realized how tired she was. She closed her eyes and let the darkness close in. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
10 minutes later.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi pulled into her driveway and stepped out of her car, lugging two one-gallon cartons of milk with her. As she reached the doorstep, she saw Kagome's shoes lying on the doormat. 'That girl is so irresponsible sometimes', she sighed as she struggled to pick up the shoes while balancing the milk in her arms.  
  
When she tried to unlock the front door, Mrs. Higurashi realized that it was already open. "Oh Kagome", she clucked disapprovingly.  
  
As she walked inside, she let the shoes fall from her hands as she walked towards the kitchen. As she put the milk into the refrigerator, Mrs. Higurashi noticed how dark and quiet it was. She shot a glance at the oven clock. 11:00 it flashed.  
  
'Strange', she thought. 'Kagome usually stays up later than this. Hmmm.Oh, well she's probably just tired from cheering so hard today. Yeah, that's it.'  
  
'At least it will be peaceful enough for me to get some reading done', she thought as she retreated into the parlor, picking up a random book as she went.  
  
Flipping on the light switch, Mrs. H gasped and nearly fainted when she saw her daughter lying (unconscious) on the ground. She quickly rushed over to Kagome's side. "Kagome! Hey! Are you all right? She shouted frantically, shaking her sleeping daughter into consciousness.  
  
"Uuurrrggghh." was all that Kagome could say as she slowly began to wake up.  
  
As Mrs. H looked her daughter over for injuries, her look of worry gave way to surprise as she caught sight of the handgun lying only inches away from Kagome's hand.  
  
Curious, Mrs. H picked up the gun. 'What is this doing here? We don't own a gun.'  
  
CRRREEEAAAKKK! Went the floorboard only a few feet from Kagome and her mother.  
  
Quickly, Mrs. H stood up and turned around (gun still in hand) only to come face with the burglar.  
  
"Who are you?!" she shrieked as loud as she could, hoping that her husband would hear her. Putting more ground between them, Mrs. H stepped back, tripping over a not-even-half-awake Kagome.  
  
"I warn you; I've taken self-defense classes at the Y", she said as she regained her balance.  
  
Just then Mrs. H finally realized that it was the burglar's gun in her hands. She smiled triumphantly. She knew she had the upper hand over this intruder.  
  
"Hands up!" she shouted. The burglar's two gloved hands immediately shot up towards the ceiling. Mrs. H nearly laughed. She liked giving orders, but no one ever obeyed them.  
  
"I'm going to call the police", Mrs. H stated bluntly. She motioned (with the gun) for the burglar to move forward as she followed behind towards the kitchen phone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
As the two walked out of the room, a sleepy Kagome finally rose to her feet. She was just in time to see the two figures heading for the kitchen.  
  
Rage and hatred again overwhelmed her as she wiped the sleep and oncoming tears from her eyes. No longer tired, Kagome hastily made her way towards the kitchen, grabbing an empty flower vase off of the coffee table as she went.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Mrs. H slowly walked down the main hallway with the intruder. They were almost at the kitchen entrance when the burglar quickly made a sharp turn to the right, getting out of her sight.  
  
"Hey! Hold it! Get back here you!" she shouted nervously.  
  
As she turned to find him, she was suddenly tackled and fell to the ground with a loud 'thump'. When she hit the floor, the handgun flew out of her hand. She looked up to see the burglar on top of her, holding down her arms and legs. She couldn't move.  
  
"Get off me!" she screamed.  
  
"You stupid bitch. If you stayed out of the way, I might have let you live."  
  
"Huh?" Mrs. H's face changed from fear to surprise. She realized the burglar hadn't said anything until just now.  
  
She was still thinking about this when the burglar reached for the gun. She snapped back to reality as the burglar stood up and pointed the gun directly at her head.  
  
"Don't worry about the girl. I'll be sure to take care of her after I've finished you off." The man's voice was as cold as ice, and sent shivers down Mrs. H's spine as he spoke.  
  
Tears began to flow freely down her face as she realized she couldn't save her daughter. After this guy killed her, he would kill Kagome. She closed her eyes preparing for the death that awaited her.  
  
"Say goodbye", he said. His finger began to pull the trigger when-  
  
CRASH!  
  
She opened her eyes to see the burglar's unconscious form fall towards the floor. Standing over him was Kagome, teeming with blind rage, the remains of a broken vase in her hand.  
  
"Call the police, now", Kagome said quietly while helping her mother up off the ground. She picked up the gun lying on the floor. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything", she said looking at the burglar in disgust.  
  
While her mom called 911, Kagome thought about all that had happened that night. As she thought about her father and grandma, the hot tears of grief stemmed from her face and dripped onto her crumpled cheerleading outfit once more.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Well that was chapter 1! Ummmm.. Did you like it? If you did, write a review and tell me. If you thought it blew, review and tell me anyway. Thanks in advance.  
  
BTW: for those of you who were wondering, Kagome never traveled back in time to Feudal Japan and never will. Hah! Don't worry though, the characters (sango, miroku, and some others) WILL appear later.  
  
Also, Kagome is 15 years old just so you know. She's only a year older than me! 


	2. II

This is chapter two! Basically it's the aftermath of chapter 1. Paramedics, breaking the news to Souta and Grandpa and the after-funeral party.  
  
For those of you who didn't already guess, there are to be no demons, wells, mikos, or Shikon jewels involved in this story in any way. Sorry.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I'm still heartbroken.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
The next few hours seemed to meld into an eternity.  
  
Kagome watched as the paramedics gently lifted the bodies of her father and grandmother into the ambulance. Her eyes had changed from their normal, happy, blue to a blank and empty gray. She wanted to cry, to show her emotions to the others around her, but found herself in a robotic-like trance.  
  
As the ambulance doors swung shut, Kagome turned to look at her grieving mother. Sitting on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, Mrs. Higurashi was creating a puddle of tears around her. When Kagome saw this, she was completely overwhelmed by pity.  
  
As the tears began to stream down her cheeks, Kagome stooped down to the ground, eye-level with her mother.  
  
"Mom?" Kagome whispered shakily.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi looked up, signifying that she had heard her daughter.  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him", Kagome blurted, nearly choking as tears started to enter her mouth.  
  
Mrs. H stared hard at her daughter. "You're apologizing for something you couldn't have stopped", She nearly shouted. "You found the courage to take on an armed intruder, you saved my life, and you're sorry you couldn't do more?! You're so stupid sometimes!" By now, she had gone into full-fledged sobs so the insult she had hurled had no effect.  
  
" Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened tonight", Mrs. H yelled, suddenly angry. "You're the best daughter a mother could have and I won't have you think otherwise.  
  
This outburst took Kagome by surprise. She looked at the ground, hard. "What do we do now?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.  
  
After hearing this, Mrs. Higurashi pulled Kagome into a tight embrace. In a voice as quiet as her daughter's, she murmured, "I don't know. I really don't know."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Souta and Grandpa didn't take the deaths as well as Kagome had hoped.  
  
As they returned home early from their camping trip, they knew something serious had happened while they were away.  
  
As Kagome and her mother came out into the front yard to greet them, Souta ran up and gave them both a quick hug.  
  
Then, as if by some telekinetic force.  
  
"Hey mom, what happened? Where's Dad?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi placed a hand on her son's shoulder and swiftly guided him into the house with Grandpa following silently behind them.  
  
Kagome however, stayed outside. She wouldn't be able to bare the look on Souta's face when her mom told him what happened. Not to mention Grandpa's reaction to all of this.  
  
While Kagome dropped down onto the soft grass, she was struck by a surge of guilt.  
  
She had hardly thought about her Grandmother or Grandfather at all. All her attention had been focused on her father and mother.  
  
'Even when I saw Grandma's body on the ground, I was too concerned about Dad', Kagome thought guiltily. ' What kind of granddaughter am I?'  
  
Deep in thought, Kagome was suddenly whipped out of her trance by loud yell from inside her house.  
  
Kagome grimaced. 'Souta.'  
  
Her mom had broken the news to her son. His anguish and grief was let out as he stormed up the stairs to his room, yelling out as he went.  
  
Kagome re-entered her house just as her brother slammed his bedroom door, causing the house to shudder slightly.  
  
She looked to her left to see Grandpa sitting on the couch, head bowed down, hands holding his face.  
  
"Grandpa?" Kagome whispered tentatively.  
  
He didn't look up as she walked in front of him.  
  
She stared nervously at the ground until-  
  
"Your mother told me what you did".  
  
She looked up.  
  
"You were very foolish Kagome"; she looked back at the ground as he said this.  
  
"But your were also very brave. Your grandmother would have been proud of you. I know I am."  
  
Tears blurred her vision as she continued to look at the carpeting.  
  
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry!" she shouted, afraid her voice would break.  
  
As she said this, Grandpa quickly stood up and hugged her as tightly as he could.  
  
"Don't cry Kagome. She wouldn't want you to."  
  
Forgetting momentarily about her own feelings, Kagome quickly asked, "How's Souta taking it?"  
  
"You have ears don't you?" Grandpa replied, smiling slightly.  
  
Kagome turned her attention to Souta's closed door, listening intently. Loud crashes and sobs could be heard through the thick walls.  
  
A worried look crossed Kagome's face as she asked herself, 'What is he doing in there?'  
  
As if he read her mind, Grandpa answered, "He's just venting his frustration. He should stop in an hour or so."  
  
Frowning slightly, Kagome thought to herself, ' I thought he was too old to have tantrums. Eh, at least he's not moping around all quiet.' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was the day of the funeral.  
  
Everyone had just gotten back from the service and were now crammed into the lower level of the Higurashi home, expressing their 'deepest sympathies' to the widow and Grandpa.  
  
Souta stood in a corner and was being comforted by all his school friends while Kagome was upstairs, in her room, sitting quietly on her bed.  
  
She didn't want nor feel obligated to go downstairs and be barraged by mourners she didn't even know. All they did was say the same thing anyway. 'I'm so sorry for your loss dear. If there's anything I can do, you let me know, okay?' Kagome didn't feel like hearing all of that right now.  
  
But lucky for Kagome, the mourners came to her.  
  
As Kagome waited for the 'post funeral' party to end, her door suddenly slammed open, revealing her three 'best' friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka.  
  
In Kagome's opinion, they weren't really that good at being friends because of their lack of sincerity. But they were always there when she needed them and she supposed that that was what mattered.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"You poor baby!"  
  
"What are you doing closed up in your room?!"  
  
Unfortunately for Kagome, they had all started talking at once, so it was hard to tell who said what. This is what she hated most about school.  
  
'They do this every day', she thought, getting more annoyed by the second. 'Have any of them ever lost their voice once?! God, they're like cackling hens!'  
  
But no matter what she thought, Kagome was still appreciative of her friends' company.  
  
All three rushed over to Kagome and joined her on her bed.  
  
"Kagome, are you, okay?"  
  
"I wish we could have been there for you."  
  
"What are you gonna do now?"  
  
That last question caught Kagome by surprise. What was her family going to do after all of this was over? She really didn't know.  
  
Getting up Kagome said determinedly, "I don't know. But I'll find out." Leaving the three girls on her bed, Kagome headed downstairs to talk to her mom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Trying to make herself go unnoticed by the guests, Kagome nearly crawled her way toward the kitchen where she could hear some of the louder mourners expressing their sympathies towards her mother.  
  
She was nearly there too, if it weren't for-  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
'Damn! So close!' Kagome thought as she was briskly lifted off the ground by her aunt Tía.  
  
"Hi Aunt Tía!" Kagome mumbled giving her a fake but nonetheless cheery smile.  
  
"Kagome, where have you been?! I've been looking everywhere for you!"  
  
"I was just in my room"; Kagome plainly stated pointing back at the stairwell.  
  
"Oh, well, I just wanted to know if you were okay.  
  
"I'm fine", Kagome said, dropping the cheery attitude in favor of an annoyed one.  
  
"Okay, well remember, if you ever need anything"-  
  
But Kagome was already out of hearing range as she resumed her quest towards the kitchen.  
  
As she made her way to the other end of the house, Kagome remained unnoticed as guests gossiped about what her family was going to do now.  
  
Kagome was only half-listening when she heard-  
  
"I hear that they're moving!"  
  
She turned around to see her neighbor, Ms. Li, talking to another guest. Ms. Li, being one of Mom's best friends, usually wasn't wrong. This had Kagome thinking.  
  
'Are we really going to move?' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
After what seemed like forever, Kagome made it to the kitchen, only to find her mom completely surrounded by people.  
  
'I guess now isn't the best time to ask her about us moving', Kagome thought, slightly dejected. 'Oh well. I can wait. I mean, how long can it take? And with that, Kagome sat herself down onto the counter top and began to wait.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
2 hours later.  
  
Kagome's patience had reached its end about an hour ago. She didn't know what was keeping her from screaming but she still waited.  
  
Only one person remained. After about a 20-minute conversation, they also left. It was then that Kagome realized that that was the last guest. Except for Souta, Mom, Grandpa, and herself, the house was empty again.  
  
Kagome happily hopped off the counter and approached her mom, who was still sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
Not knowing exactly how to say this, Kagome decided to put it as simply as possible.  
  
"Momarewemoving?" she blurted out. Kagome closed her eyes in embarrassment. 'Nice job Kagome', she thought angrily. 'Try putting spaces between your words.'  
  
Looking at her daughter Mrs. Higurashi replied, "Why did you ask that?"  
  
Opening her eyes, Kagome said, "I heard some of the guests talking."  
  
Smiling, Mrs. Higurashi laughed softly. "I guess I know now how much I can trust my friends."  
  
Taking a seat next to her mother, Kagome spoke slowly, "So, we are moving?"  
  
"Are you surprised?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you upset?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why did you ask."  
  
"Because I wanted to know for sure! Forgive me if that was the wrong thing to do", Kagome added sarcastically.  
  
For a few moments, both just sat there silently, waiting for the other to speak.  
  
Kagome broke the silence. "So when are we moving?" she asked quietly.  
  
"A few weeks tops."  
  
"Oh". Wait a minute. Where exactly are we moving anyway?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Kagome stood up and walked back to her room slightly peeved. She hated when her mom was all mysterious.  
  
"Kagome", Mrs. Higurashi called out.  
  
Kagome turned around to signify she had heard her.  
  
"Start sorting your belongings for when we start packing.  
  
Kagome resumed walking back to her room.  
  
'How soon are we moving?' she asked herself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I know, I know. This chapter was sappier than a maple tree, you don't need to tell me. That's about it. In the next chapter the higurashi family moves. As if you didn't see it coming.  
  
If I forgot anything, tell me. Don't forget to review!  
  
rUFUS 


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